A Crocodile's Journey

Chapter 17

Makuu soon learned to hate not only his prison, but his jailers as well.

The two-legs never uttered a word, but they were visibly cruel, sometimes they taunted their captives with unreachable food for entertainment; but they taunted him more frequently, often throwing his food out of reach to spite him, or poking him with long wooden sticks to provoke him into a rage. When it came to water, the two-legs splashed him and Kiburi with cold water from buckets.

During the time they spent here, however, he and the other animals got to know each other a bit. They talked about how they were captured, or discussed a way to escape, or chat about their lives before being captured. The little elephant, though, didn't talk no matter how much the others tried to get him to say his name at the very least. He didn't sob as much anymore, though, and now his ears spread out whenever they talked, which showed he did listen to what they talked about.

And Kiburi still refused to eat.

Against his better judgment, Makuu offered Kiburi his own meat, but received no reply other than an indifferent grunt. Despite his attempts not to worry about him, now Makuu was certain something had happened. This was not like Kiburi at all. He didn't even annoy him as much anymore, only occasionally and when he was in a 'good mood', but most of the time he was silent, cold and unresponsive to anything that happened around him.

Then he started wondering... did Kiburi's float stay behind in the Outlands? Was this the reason he was so... down? That he missed...? No, it couldn't be that, Kiburi cared for no one but himself.

Makuu, on the other hand, missed his float terribly. Akina was the one he missed the most; what if he never saw her again? Would she move on and find another? She was always very faithful, but deep down he knew she would eventually have to consider it... if she did he hoped that lucky crocodile would give her the family she always wanted and he could never give her out of his selfishness...

Makuu shook the thought off his head. He'd get out of here and return to her, to the float, to the Pride Lands...

Kitwana's whereabouts were still tormenting him, however. Not knowing if he was okay, or even alive, was eating him from the inside, made the guilt from before intensify tenfold.

That night (Makuu counted it had been six days since he was brought here), he couldn't sleep. He stared at the dark, but starry sky, from the window up above, the only connection to the outside world. He longed for his freedom, and for Akina's warmth, fervently.

"I'll return to you, Akina," he whispered, almost inaudibly. "I promise."

He heard Kiburi's snicker from behind. "Looks like you haven't learned not to make promises you can't actually keep."

Right, he was wondering when he'd hear Kiburi's dry comment of the day. "Perhaps, but at the very best I try my best to fulfill them, something you have never done."

"You know nothing about me, Makuu." Kiburi said bitterly.

"You seem to forget we grew up together, Kiburi."

"That's what makes it even worse. You never truly knew me, nor did you ever truly know her."

Makuu frowned when he realized who he was talking about. "Leave Akina out of this, she has nothing to do with the issue." He growled menacingly.

"She has everything to do with the issue. None of this would have ever happened if she had chosen me."

"Would you get over it already?! How many times are you going to play the victim just because Akina preferred me?!"